New housing secretary Michael Gove failed to address reports he has demanded a complete rethink on planning reforms in a keynote address to the Conservative Party conference which did not mention planning at all and mentioned housing only once.

In a speech that appeared to confirm speculation that Gove sees the levelling up agenda as his priority task above addressing the housing crisis, he said he saw his task as “allowing communities to take back control of their futures, and creating greener and more beautiful places to live”.

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